Inuyasha: Distant Thunderings
by SingerSongwriterWolf
Summary: When the jewel shattered, a lot of things happened, and the energy released set in motion a chain of events felt in lands Inuyasha and the gang can't even imagine. And the man sent to investigate, and the ones searching for him, are very much stuck there.
1. Chapter 1

Inuyasha

Distant Thunderings

Disclaimer: Don't own Anime or any Inuyasha characters.

Roger, Natalie, Arius, Bastion, the Fallen, and that stuff is MINE! And Sanocles is too, I suppose.

I

Sanocles folded in his wings, floating before the orb. It was a brilliant cacophony of hues and action, a universe within an orb ensconced in the nothing-yet-something of the Æther, the substance which was not that made up the multiverse.

Not a spot of grey, the only color he never saw much of , was in the orb, which gave him some comfort, but the blackish purple that signaled the presence of corruption was very much present. Much more so then he would've expected. True, he was in the enemy territory, but the Fallen usually didn't infest the smaller Universes this much. _I suppose it makes sense considering the circumstances._

Uneasily, he searched the space around him for sentries. But nothing could be seen, except for reddish clouds which thundered towards nothing and floated aimlessly. They were Æther given a somewhat solid form, and filled the spaces between universes.

This felt wrong, and he was nervous. The feeling of wrongness he felt now, the nausea, he had come to trust it. After a millennia of service, it had always been right. But orders were orders, no matter how he might feel or might not feel.

The old man began to fly once again, his wings beating in a regular, unhurried fashion. Panic nor speed would help him any. He might as well rest. He'd need the energy when he entered the universe orb.

His orders had been so specific, maybe that's why he was so bothered. Usually the orders given to lone Casters such as himself were simple and nebulous in nature, giving Casters more freedom then, say, seekers or Guardians, but not as much as the Sentinels.

Several weeks ago, as those in Bastion reckoned time, anyhow, a patrol of Guardians had found this universe, or, to be more precise, this universe _shard. _Of course when they found it, it was attached to another universe. While they watched, a huge pulse emanated from within the orb and ripped off a part of it. Knowing full well that this was impossible, they didn't even bother to finish the rest of the patrol, simply heading straight back home to Bastion. Back at the castle, it was decided to investigate this phenomena.

But unfortunately, the only choice was to send one person to investigate. And army or even a small team of guardians and a caster would be instantly set upon by the Fallen and not make it even halfway. All who knew of it, which was mostly just those in the Caster's ranks and the Commanders, were worried. After all, the universe in question had been in enemy territory and had just been ripped open. Could this be some kind of new Fallen weapon? Some among the Casters feared that the Fallen had found and scaled The Pinnacle, but others dismissed that. The seeker would indeed have to fight them inside the Pinnacle once he scaled it and ended it, but not yet.

_The Master knows why, of course, but he knows everything. They do not tell a simple sophist such as myself the secrets of existence. _That made him smile. He had not thought of himself as a philosopher in a long, long time.

A presence tugged at his awareness, and he whirled. _It's close! _Three Fallen fell at him from above, their ruined wings carrying them swiftly. _And faster then me! _Sanocles shot forward, making for the relative safety, if it could be called such, of the Universe shard. At least there he'd be harder to find.

_Blast it all, I can't cast anything in this void of Æther! I'm defenseless. _He felt the three Fallen change course and increase their speed, only flapping irregularly to keep them going, but so forcefully that they were propelled like a kamikaze-like single mindedness. Their ruined forms and wickedly shaped scimitars came closer.

"I just don't understand her, Shippo!" Inuyasha said suddenly, annoyed as he was quite often.

"I mean," he continued, "What so special about that stupid world of hers that she keeps going back to that well all the time? Though….that thing they called steak was nice…."

"I don't know," Shippo replied. "Sometimes I wish she wouldn't stay in the future so long. But when she stays for a few days, Kagome brings back all kinds of nice things! I wish I could go to her world once!"

Even more annoyed, Inuyasha smacked the little kitsune pup on the head and gave a short disgusted "Feh. Who asked you anyway?"

"You did!" Shippo said, rubbing his head.

"Oh, shut up," Inuyasha said, not paying attention. "Where are Sango and Miroku? They wandered off earlier and I forgot to ask them where they went."

"Miroku is in the village, exorcising demons from a house. Sango is there to keep him from getting in trouble…not that it'll help any."

Oh. Whatever," Inuyasha said, dismissing any thought of them. _Kagome left five minutes ago and I already miss her. Stupid girl, she better show up on time!_

Roger and Natalie were at the front, as usual, with Arius lagging behind slightly. They had been flying about six and a half hours, and the Universe Shard was finally in sight, a huge dark, multicolored blob against the reddish Æther.

"Arius, speed up and we'll form a reverse pyramid. You have point. I don't want to run into a patrol."

"Same here," Arius answered as he increased his speed, his wings beating at an irregular pace to catch up. Once they were arrayed, Roger looked around again for any signs of Fallen, noting nothing, much to his relief. He heard Natalie say something, and looked over at her. "Hm?"

"Oh, sorry, talking to myself," she said, and he shrugged as best he could while flying. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "It's just… what could rip apart and entire Universe like it was nothing, not even there? Whatever or- it's a horrible thought, I know- whoever did it would rival even the greatest Commanders in power, probably overpower them all easily. It's just an unnerving thought."

"Yeah, I know… I don't think it was any one person, and to be honest, I'm not quite sure that the Fallen were behind it."

"It was in their territory, so it seems feasible that they were involved," Arius offered from below.

"True, and it wouldn't surprise me," Roger consented, "but I don't think they were directly involved. Even if they were, then why would they stop at a simple test? The only explanation is that either they didn't do it directly, or they can't replicate it."

"Makes sense to me," Arius agreed. "What do you think, Nat?"

"Me?" she asked, shrugging, "I don't know. They pay me to fight, not think…("Not that I'm paid," he lamented) but whatever happened, I think they're trying to uncover a way to do it again, so they can use it as a weapon against us, probably assault Bastion."

Roger nodded without looking at her. _She's right, it is an unnerving thought. The thought of Bastion ripped apart, it's not pleasant. _

Lost in thought, he almost didn't hear Natalie when she reared back.

"What is that?!?"

"What is wha-?"

A huge pinkish beam shot out from the Universe Shard, heading straight towards them. Seeing that she was in the way, Roger grabbed Natalie's hand and pulled her towards him. Arius flew off to the side.

As it passed, they felt a massive force and were blown backwards. His field of vision was flooded with a purplish-pinkish aura which seemed to encompass everything, and then was gone.

Dazed, Roger floated. When his presence of mind returned, he opened his eyes. _Natalie! _He felt for her hand, and it wasn't there. Panicked he searched, finally yelling her name into the void.

"Natalie! Nat?!? Answer me, please!! NAT!?!"

Dread rushed though him. _She's not answering. Did that thing get her? Please, no… _He begged no one in particular. He flew through the Æther, screaming her name in despair, his voice shrinking in volume and becoming hoarse, but still he yelled, hoping he find some trace of her, somewhere.

Faintly, he heard an answering voice. His heart lifted and he frantically searched for the source of the voice. It was above him, He flew as fast as he could push himself to, his wings beating at the void with a furious energy.

But they stopped when he could hear what the voice was saying. "Natalie? It's Arius!! Where are you?!?"

Struggling to keep his voice from breaking, he answered. "It's Roger."

Arius, whom he could see now, was silent, pale. "I…I can't find her. I can't find…her…" he whispered, his eyes brimming with tears. "Where…what happened to her?!?! Where is she?"

"The beam… I tried to pull her out of the way, and I thought I had her… but when I came too, she was gone…I thought I had her…" His eyes were still wide in disbelief. "I'll… I'll kill them. I'll kill them all, every last one of them!" he yelled hoarsely, flying off at where the beam had originated. Arius paled. He had never seen Roger this angry before. He flew after him. For once in his life totally unable to think of anything.

She was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

II

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any characters. I wish I did, I'd be rich, but I don't. So, no sue me.

Roger, Natalie, Arius, Sanocles, Commanders, Fallen, Hunters, Sentinels, Guardians, Casters, etc. are mine. If you use them, I will unleash armies of sue-happy chibi-ized Inuyashas at you who will eat your head and then sue you even though you're dead.

Oh, and no, Kagome won't tell them to sit. :)

Kagome appeared in a flash of light at the bottom of the well. _Inuyasha…he always gets so testy whenever I come back home. I'm only going to be gone three days! _She sighed, then looked around for a handhold to start climbing out. _It's always so dark in here! I can never find a thing-_

Her foot hit something, and she knew immediately that it wasn't the wall. It had hurt her foot, and when she reached out, the wall wasn't there.

She pulled off her almost empty pack and scrounged through it, looking for the flashlight she had brought. She found it under a heap of band aid boxes, quickly finding the switch and turning it on.

The light revealed the true form of the object. It was a girl, about her age, fifteen or sixteen. She was dressed in chain mail and had armor-things (the name of which totally escaped her) on her shoulders. Her hair was a bright blonde, which was odd in of itself. And her face was somewhat pale. _European? American? Definitely not from the Feudal Era… The battery is giving out! _

And indeed it was. She made a quick look around of the well, found the handhold she was looking for, and then focused the beam on the girl again. This time, she moved it away from her face some, to see the rest of her.

_Oh…_

Huge bird like wings protruded from her back, originating from a feather covered spot a little below her shoulders. Clamp like things protected the base of the wings.

They were massive, easily filling the well's bottom almost entirely. _How on earth did I not run into these sooner? They're huge! She must have a wingspan of at least 16 feet!_

The light started to flicker, then rapidly. Kagome looked back up the well. _I'll get Mom and Grandfather to help me get her out of here, _she thought as she pulled herself to the surface. As she climbed out and rolled off the side, Sota saw her.

"Kagome!" he cried, happy to see she was back.

"Sota! Go get Mom and Grandfather, quick!"

"Why," he asked, suddenly apprehensive, "are you hurt?"

"No, just go get them! Please!"

"Okay!" he yelled back already gone back into the house.

"I can't find any signs that she's been wounded in any way…" Kagome's mother mused. "She seems just unconscious due to other reasons besides violence. You say she was just there when you got back, Kagome?"

"Yeah! I think she might be a yokai, I'm not sure…but what kind? She doesn't look anything like the bird demons I've seen. A hanyou, maybe?"

"Hybrid? Maybe. She seems fine, whatever she is. She'll wake up eventually. We should let her rest," Kagome's mother said gently, getting up.

"Okay," Kagome answered, still wondering. _Inuyasha will probably show up eventually, so when he does maybe he will know who or what she is._

Inuyasha sat up, suddenly, startling Shippo. He had been asleep for a few hours, and-

"Shippo, you smell that? Human, but not Kagome, from the well. Get back, I don't know wh-"

A roar from the bottom of the Bone Eater's well echoed up, and Roger burst from it's confines, his wings propelling him high into the air.

"That doesn't look human!" Shippo yelled, and edged back from the well.

Roger turned, anger in his eyes. "You! You killed her!" he yelled pointing straight at Inuyasha.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I want to know how you got to the bottom of the well! And where's Kagome?!"

"Shut up! You sent that beam that killed her! It came from this Universe shard, and from this part of the shard, I'm sure of it! Die, Fallen!" He yelled and brandished his spear, throwing it with all his might. Inuyasha dodged, barely, and it still managed to graze his robe.

_This guy is fast, strong, too much for a human. He has to be a demon…but why doesn't he have a demonic aura and why does he reek of humans?!?_

"Who are you?!" Inuyasha demanded, drawing the Tetsusaiga.

"I AM THE MAN WHO KILLS YOU!" Roger yelled, and dove.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha roared as he leveled the Tetsusaiga, unleashing the sword's devastating attack.

Only to see it swerve off before hitting his attacker, forcing Inuyasha to back flip to avoid Roger's blow.

"So you are human," the hanyou muttered and waited for Roger's rush. "I don't know who you're talking about, who ever you are. How did you get into the well?"

"Easy. I was outside this shard, and a huge beam emanated from this spot, and we tried to get out of the way. I tried to pull Natalie away, but she got caught in the beam. What did you do? What did you do?!?"

"I didn't do anything! Kagome just went through the well, that's all! We didn't cause that beam or whatever."

"That well, what does it do? Why would this 'Kagome' go through it?" Roger demanded, a little calmer, and seemingly less bent on Inuyasha's destruction.

"It sends Kagome back to her own time, that's all. Is that where you're from?" _If he is from Kagome's time, then he's the first person from there who can actually fight._

"Then, you don't know anything about that beam…?"

"Nope, nothing," Inuyasha replied, shaking his head.

"Roger! That beam must've been from this well sending that 'Kagome' person back!" Arius said as he climbed out of the well.

"Arius? Why didn't you fly out?" Roger asked, confused. Arius glared at him, and then sat down on the grass beside the Bone Eater's well. "You know I'm not a good flyer as you! Besides, when we entered through the rift the beam made, I ended up right next to you and your wing hit me in the head."

"Oops, sorry 'bout that," Roger said, his voice lighter then before. He turned back to Inuyasha and Shippo. "You sure don't look or feel like Fallen…and neither of you are Hunters, that's for sure. So…who are you guys?"

I'm Inuyasha, and this little badger-dog over here is Shippo."

"I'm a fox, stupid! A Fo-" Inuyasha flicked his head, punctuating the sentence. "Ow."

"And who are you two? You're obviously human, or else the Wind Scar would've hit you. But humans don't have wings like you two do. So, what are you? Demon, half demon, human?"

"Human, both of us…what else would we be? Half-Demons? Those exist?" Roger asked, confused. All trace of anger was gone from his voice now, and he seemed relaxed, but he was still worried. _Please, even if there's just a small chance you're alive, I'll find you, Natalie._

"Of course they exist! What do you think I am?!?" Inuyasha said irritably. Roger gaped, then said, "You mean, you're like, half a demon?" Then he noticed- _Oh. Dog ears. At least it's better then most of what I usually see._

"What'd you think I just said? Anyway, what this shard you went on about? Is it a shard of the Sacred Jewel?" he asked, hoping it was.

"Sorry, no clue what you're talking about. The shard I'm talking about is what we're all in right now. The Universe Shard."

"…What?" Shippo asked, from Inuyasha's side, confused. "What's that?"

"It's…a long, complicated story. Did anything, you know, big, happen about three months ago?

"That's when Kagome hit the Sacred Jewel with her arrow, and it shattered…" Inuyasha said, wondering where this was all going.

"This…Jewel, is it…you know, powerful?" Roger asked.

"Powerful? Powerful enough. A single shard makes a demon twice as strong!"

"Ah… Arius, could that be…?"

"Maybe," the Caster responded, thinking. "All that pent up energy…maybe. It's a better lead then any we've gotten so far…which is to say, no leads…"

"Whatever. What happened to this jewel?" Roger asked, interrupting Arius.

"I already told you. Kagome accidentally shattered it with an arrow. We have some shards, but a stupid wolf yokai named Koga has two and an evil demon named Naraku has most of them. And don't even think about taking them, because my claws _will_ kill a human."

"I wasn't thinking of that at all, honest."

"Feh."


End file.
